Veronica Lake

Veronica Lake, born Constance Frances Marie Ockleman, also known as Constance Keane (14 November 1922, Brooklyn, New York – 7 July 1973, Colchester, Vermont) was a popular American film actress and pin-up model who achieved wide fame and critical praise, especially for her film noir roles during the 1940s. Described by Bette Davis as "the most beautiful person who ever came to Hollywood," her success was fleeting and after a string of broken marriages and long struggles with mental illness and alcoholism she died destitute and friendless at the age of 50.

An icon of the 1940s

Her breakthrough film was I Wanted Wings (1941), a major hit in which she had the second female lead and was said to have stolen scene after scene from the rest of the cast. This success was followed by another, Hold Back the Dawn (1941). She was soon noted as a witty, intelligent and trend-setting actress and had starring roles in more popular movies including Sullivan's Travels (1941), This Gun for Hire (1942), I Married a Witch (1942, later used as a basis for the 1960s hit television series Bewitched), The Glass Key (1942) and So Proudly We Hail! (1943).

Related Topics:
I Wanted Wings - Hold Back the Dawn - Movie - Sullivan's Travels - This Gun for Hire - I Married a Witch - Bewitched - The Glass Key - So Proudly We Hail!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For a short time during the early 1940s Veronica Lake was considered one of the most reliable box office draws in Hollywood and was also known for her onscreen pairings with actor Alan Ladd. A stray lock of hair during a publicity photo shoot led to her iconic peekaboo hairstyle which hid one eye with her shoulder-length blonde hair and was widely imitated. During World War II she changed her trademark image as a publicity move to encourage women working in war industry factories to adopt more practical hairstyles. Some critics have speculated that the loss of her peekaboo look diminished the mystery and allure of her on screen image, damaging her box office appeal. Given the fickle nature of movie audiences there could have been some truth to this initially but other factors were at work.

Related Topics:
Alan Ladd - World War II

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Although widely popular with the public, Lake had a complex personality and professionally she had developed a reputation for being difficult to work with. Eddie Bracken, her co-star in Star Spangled Rhythm (1942), was quoted as saying "She was known as The Bitch and she deserved the title." However, in that same movie Lake took part in a song lampooning her own hair style, "A Sweater, A Sarong and a Peekaboo Bang."

Related Topics:
Eddie Bracken - Star Spangled Rhythm

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Lake's career stumbled with her role as Nazi sympathizer Dora Bruckman in The Hour Before Dawn (released in 1944). During filming she had tripped on a lighting cable and her second child was born prematurely on July 8, 1943. William Detlie died a week later from uremic poisoning and there are indications she may have deliberately attempted to miscarry him. By the end of 1943 her first marriage had ended in divorce. Meanwhile scathingly poor reviews of The Hour Before Dawn included criticism of her unconvincing German accent which was also said to have interfered disasterously with her acting. Nevertheless Lake was making $4500 per week under her contract with Paramount when she married director André de Toth in 1944. Their son, André Michael de Toth III, was born October 25, 1945. Lake is said to have begun drinking more heavily during this period and people began plainly refusing to work with her. She had been seeing psychiatrists for years but de Toth didn't approve and according to a published account, once suggested Constance spend the $50 she would otherwise pay for a doctor?s appointment on a new hat. Meanwhile Paramount cast Lake in a string of mostly forgotten films. A notable exception was The Blue Dahlia (1946) in which she again co-starred with Alan Ladd (who reportedly was less than fond of her) but Paramount decided not to renew her contract in 1948.

Related Topics:
Nazi - The Hour Before Dawn - Uremic poisoning - André de Toth - The Blue Dahlia

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~